Primary 2010

214 Republican, 39 Democrats. That was the final count on Primary Election Day last month. A pretty typical voter turnout in Small Town, Texas.

I worked my first election in Harris County, Texas back in 1992, when my Man and I were approached by a fellow homeschool mom who I later found out served, with her husband, as the county chairman. We did not know, when we both agreed to do our Civic Duty, that it was actually a paying job. Not a big paying job, but still. When one is unemployed, as my Man was at the time, any pay is more than no pay. Since then I have worked at elections of all sorts ~ city elections, special elections, runoff elections, primary elections, presidential elections, off-year elections, school board elections, you-name-the elections ~ both as a clerk and as a judge.

Whatever one’s capacity, Election Day is one l-o-n-g day, beginning long before dawn and ending long after dark. Some elections, such as the Presidential election, are much more popular than others, but whichever it is, and no matter how un/popular it may be, you can just rest assured that somebody is going to be there well before opening time to whine about something:

• The door wasn’t unlocked until three seconds after 7:00a.m;
• The yellow sheet wasn’t posted;
• The VOTE sign is sagging at the corner;
• The distance markers aren’t exactly at 100 feet;
• This voter didn’t get a card in the mail;
  
• That voter’s mother is on oxygen and can’t make it to the poll, so she is being disenfranchised;
• The other voter wasn’t told who was on the ballot;
• The next voter doesn’t speak English, and an Urdu interpreter hasn’t been provided.
  

What doesn’t really matter; the object is to complain. Loudly and bitterly, making sure everyone in the vicinity is privy to the voter’s pain and suffering. And since, in the age of PC-ness, we are in the business of appeasement, well, we better be good and ready to fix up every little one of their little hearts’ desires. And that’s the way most elections go.

You might think all elections are equally easy/hard to hold, but you would be wrong. City and school board elections are usually easy ones, because only the most dutiful and informed citizenry are even aware of those. Presidential elections, on the other hand, tend to be somewhat hazardous, particularly when there is a hotly contested or polarizing competition. Voters who have never seen the inside of a polling place come out for those, and they all have “issues.“

If I had to choose the hardest/worst election to work, it would be, no contest, the Primary. That’s because that is the election where the most uninformed show up. All they know for sure is that they have rights: the right to vote, the right to have a ballot in their language, the right not to have to wait in line, things like that. Conspicuously missing is their duty to educate themselves, and they are often ignorant as to what is at stake and/or how the system works. This results in a whole lot of clueless voters, who, when asked if they wish to vote Republican or Democrat, lose not a moment unleashing a torrent of abuse and foul language on the poor miscreant who dares to inquire.

“WHAT do you mean??? You can‘t ask me THAT!!! How DARE you infringe on my right to privacy! That is NONE of YOUR BUSINESS!!! I have the right to a secret ballot!!! Where’s the complaint number??? I’m going to report you!!!” Etc.

Well, Primary Election Day, 2010 wasn’t any different. We had the usual assortment of righteously indignant voters who threatened not to vote if we made them divulge their party affiliation, but only one or two actually made good on their promise. And then there were those in the wrong precinct who heaped outrage upon us for trying to direct them to the right one. There were the requisite two or three illiterates who had to have the ballot read to them, and don’t forget the few who found it too difficult to get out of the car and had to have a ballot taken to them outside. Add to that two election workers who nearly came to blows. Nothing really out of the ordinary. Until…

Enter the voting Nazi (Am I allowed to use that word without being offensive to somebody?). In all my years of working elections, this lady was a first. My first thought was how much she reminded me of one of my children’s piano teachers. But I was quickly disabused of that notion.

She wore a pencil-skirted business suit and stiletto heels, and hair pulled severely back into a braid that was clipped onto the top of her head. In her left hand she carried a wallet/planner/something-or-other, and with her right hand she shook hands with everyone in the room, showing off her badge as she introduced herself. She made sure we alllll knew she was a special officer from Fort Hood who did background investigations for top secret clearances (Hmmm….Is that really something you go around advertising?).

“Rep or Dem?” we asked.

“I’ll take Dem,” she crisply informed us. “I’m not going to vote like everyone else.” And away she clicked across the freshly polished faux-wood floor to the corner of the room where the *e* voting machine was set up.

But almost immediately she was back. And she was frantic. There was only one person she specifically wanted to vote for. He had told her she could vote for him! But he wasn’t on the Dem ballot! And that’s when she bothered to look at the Rep ballot (which was prominently displayed on the wall next to the door, but which neither she, nor anybody else, had ever bothered to look at). Lo and behold, there was her man, and oh-so-fortunately, she had not yet hit the *enter* button on her ballot, so we were able to cancel her Dem ballot and give her a Rep one. That was our one-and-only canceled ballot of the day.

Off she scurried again with her ballot, presumably the right one this time, and she soon came back to our table, once again securely in possession of all her self-confident persona, for another round of smiles, head-bowing, hand-shaking, and “thank you’s” to each of us for doing our civic duty.

So in case you’ve ever put any faith in our “Democratic Process” or in our duly elected leaders, or in those who elect them for that matter, you may want to reconsider. Sometimes I think we would do just as well with a roll of the dice…a crap shoot, so to speak.

Happy Voting!

Conservative? Or Liberal?

Just in case you might be wondering, this is how you can tell a conservative from a liberal:

• If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't own one; if a liberal doesn't like guns, he doesn't want anyone to have one.
• If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat; if a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants to ban all meat products for everyone.
• If a conservative sees a threat, he thinks about how to defeat it; if a liberal sees a threat, he thinks about how to surrender and still look good.
• If a conservative is a black or a Hispanic man, he sees himself as independent and successful; if a liberal is a black or a Hispanic man, he sees himself as a victim in need of government protection.
• If a conservative is down-and-out, he tries to improve his situation; if a liberal is down-and-out, he tries to find someone to take care of him.
• If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he changes the channel; if a liberal doesn't like a talk show host, he demands that the channel be shut down.
• If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church; if a liberal is a non-believer, he demands that all churches be closed.
• If a conservative needs some $, he goes to work; if a liberal needs some $, he puts his hand out and waits for *someone* to put some $ in it.
  
• If a conservative needs health care, he shops for it, or he looks for a job that provides it; if a liberal needs health care, he expects his neighbors to pay for it.

And isn't it interesting that a conservative is proud to be called a conservative, but a liberal is *offended* to be labeled a liberal.

So...Any questions?

O,Bummer!

I am in shock. Again. But not in a good way. In case I was harboring any doubt/hope that we are not rushing headlong to hell in a handbasket, on the express, today's news sharply disabused me of that notion.

President Obama. "Humbled" recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Humbled??? What he should be is embarrassed.

Hmmm....What prestigious award could possibly be next? Surely there are accolades to come.

• Since he loves NCAA basketball, how about a national championship? Or an MVP?
• Perhaps a Motor Trend Car of the Year? He does know how to drive one.
• Maybe a Blue Ribbon from the Illinois State Fair? He is known to like pie.
• A Pulitzer for his books?
• Or the NASCAR Sprint Cup? No one turns left like President Obummer.

A peace prize for what he wants to do, not for what he's done. The Nobel Peace Prize is officially a joke.

YESSS!!!!!!!

I am in shock. For once in a good way. I am absolutely stunned to hear that Congress has overwhelmingly voted to defund ACORN.

According to the CBS News this evening, this will cost ACORN "tens of millions of dollars." Man, I hate their luck. But one man's trash is another man's treasure, and what ACORN loses someone else stands to gain. If Katie is right, there is $, $, $ by the pound ton floating around, and as was pointed out by a friend just a few hours ago, "There is no dormant $ in Washington."

So...What to do with alllllll that extra $? I vote we use it to fund WALNUT: Workers Against Lazy Non-producers United Together. Equal time/opportunity and all that.

Madame Secretary

Hilary Clinton is a No-Class Act.

So maybe she is the Secretary of State, while her husband, on the other hand, is just a has-been president.

So maybe she feels she wasn't given her due, what with being upstaged by the shadow of her husband and all.

So maybe she was stressed out on her If-It's-Tuesday-This-Must-Be-Belgium whirlwind tour of seven countries in eleven days. Sorry, but "stressed out" is part of the job.

So maybe there was a language barrier. Could she maybe have waited to make sure she understood the question before she rose so testily to her defense? According to the followup, it was explained later to her that there had indeed been a misinterpretation. Did she offer an apology, as Democrats are so very fond of demanding from others? Perhaps an "Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood the question?" thereby giving everyone, including herself, a face-saving opportunity? She did not. Her comment to the hapless questioner was, "Don't worry about it."

So, so, so...She signed up for the job. Could she have been even a little bit more, uh, diplomatic? Tact and diplomacy should be the #1 tools of her stock in trade. She is, after all, as she so emphatically pointed out, the Secretary of State of the Unites States of America. Very highly placed indeed, and she certainly ought to have herself in hand. But no. Instead she engaged in a tirade reeking of insecurity and jealousy and immaturity. Basically an adult temper tantrum.

Once again, Madame Secretary has managed to make herself (and, alas, us) look like a childish, egotistical, self-centered, narcissistic prima dona who just can't get over herself, providing another round of ammunition to a hostile world just waiting for another excuse to launch yet one more round of potshots in our direction. As usual, Madame Secretary leaves me scratching my head and rolling my eyes, wondering what "we" have signed up for.

Her behavior is a shame and a disgrace.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

I used to think Copperas Cove was the most highly regulated city in the country, but I couldn't be more wrong. That dubious distinction actually belongs to Killeen (the ironically motto-ed "City Without Limits") where C and De recently moved. They were ever so excited to be in their own house, after ten weeks at the in-laws', but it wasn't long before the snake showed up in Paradise.

Barely two or tree days after the move, as C was busily sorting out the kitchen, she happened to look out the front window to see a man at the curb taking pictures of her house. Dropping what she was doing, she went to the door, only to see the man taking off in a city truck, so, still in her slippers, she sprinted off after him with the Other Princess hot on her heels. Fortunately, he was compelled to stop at the sign at the corner, giving her the advantage to catch up with him.

"Why are you taking pictures of my house?"

"Umm.... which house are you in?"

"Duh, the only one you took pictures of..." Gotcha!

It turned out that this was one of Killeen's code enforcement officers, and he was there to take pictures of all the codes that were being violated:

• Thou shalt not have boxes on your front porch. Never mind that they are all flattened and clearly labeled with the name of the locksmith who had been by earlier and asked to have them, promising to pick them up that night.
  
• Thou shalt not have a trailer full of boxes and other miscellaneous moving detritus on the grass. It's a rodent hazard. Never mind that the only rodents that had been encountered came from the facility where their stuff had been stored for the past three months (Maybe this diligent public servant could find time in his busy schedule to check them out?). And when asked how moving the trailer to the driveway, as he strongly suggested, would be a deterrent to rodents, he neatly sidestepped the question and deftly changed the subject.
• Thou shalt not have bags of trash out here by the dumpster. Never mind that, courtesy of the last occupant, the dumpster was already FULL when they moved in, and if the city is so worried about the volume of trash, why don't they pick it up more than once a week? Could some of these code officers maybe go on garbage detail?
  
• Thou shalt not park you car so that the tail end of it hangs a foot over the sidewalk. Never mind that it is your car parked in your driveway.
  
• And on. And on.
  

C: Do you think it looks like we might be in the middle of moving in here?

Code Enforcement Zealot Officer: You never know. This is a military town and you would not believe how some people live.

C: So. Given the transient nature of the military, don't you think you oughta know what moving looks like? And what, exactly are you implying about the military?

And, given the overwhelming majority of military population in the area, I cannot imagine a civil servant making an offensive remark like that.

The man went on to explain that he was one of five code enforcement officers in Killeen, public "servants" whose job it is to drive around seeking whom they may harass. Given the dreadful state of the economy, are we sure Killeen can afford to keep these guys on the payroll? Perhaps the city could do everyone a favor and get rid of some of the dead weight, but until they do: Movers beware!

Commenting that she was unaware of the local codes, C was informed that she should have looked on the internet for the complete Rules of Engagement. Oh, well that solves everything, doesn't it? Like that is her top priority. Like she has plenty of time to sit and do battle with a sometime-functioning internet, leaving the children to run wild and make their own little living, while the unpacking chores pile up and proliferate. If the city's Code of Conduct is so all-fired important, why doesn't the city furnish copies to realtors and property managers?

Moving has to rate way up at the top of the list of stressors in modern life, so thanks, Killeen, for piling on a little bit more. C's final comment: Had we known, we would have never moved here, and we will never consider buying a house here.

Welcome to Nazi Germany Texas.

OINK!

PANDEMIC! The Swine Flu is upon us. Or is it? Not so sure, since we have now been instructed to call it the H1N1 virus, or something like that. Apparently "Swine Flu" is giving pigs a bad name. Well, whatever...a virus is a virus is a virus.

Ok. So to believe the media hype, the Swine Flu H1N1 is pandemic. Imagine...a Global Epidemic. That means everywhere. But, according to the same media, as of last night there were six people hospitalized with H1N1 in the entire country. Six? Pandemic? How many people are hospitalized in this country with TB or pneumonia or AIDS or HIV or who knows what other host of infectious diseases? I bet it's a whole lot more than six, and I don't hear any outcry going on about those.

So one person has died in this country with the virus. I feel bad for that family, I really do, and I don't want to trivialize it in any way. So what about the 36,000 that die from the regular flu every year? They don't call that a pandemic. Does one death from Swine Flu = Pandemic? If it does, then every infectious disease in this world is in a state of pandemiconium.

My Man always says if you really want to get to the root, just follow the $ trail. Hmmm...Well, let's see, Obama has graciously doled out $15 bil to the pharmaceutical industry. Of course the media stands to gain revenue from the ratings, and when it comes to ratings in this Age of Excess, the more sensational/spectacular/scandalous the better. So there are two possibilities.

The ludicrous inconsistencies coming from higher up are creating panic, but perhaps that is by design, allowing that giving the beleaguered public something new to worry about will take its mind off of its current economic and other woes. Besides, who knows what kind of wheeling and dealing might be taking place in the back room while all eyes are focused on the Virus...After all, why waste a perfectly good crisis?

Consider:

• We have a pandemic for Pete's sake, and yet the borders remain wide open, come one come all, and bring your latest diseases with you.
  
• Outdoor sporting events have been canceled, but child warehouses child care centers and most schools remain open. A quick check with the Public Health people would reveal that outdoor events aren't really problematic. Closed spaces, where little people cough and spit and sneeze on each other and breathe recycled air, are, however, a different story.
• They say we have plenty of flu medicine available, but they tell people there's no need to stock up.
  

Well, WHICH IS IT???? If it's truly pandemic, then let's get serious and give it its due. Lets shut the borders and close public places and quarantine the infected, and inconvenience be hanged. If it's merely the newest strain of flu showing up for the year, as happens every flu season, then could the media just stop whipping up hysteria? And if the Powers That Be really don't know, then could they find out and take some appropriate, rational action instead of all the knee-jerking they are doing?

Personally, I am depending on the time-tested methods of avoiding illness: wash hands often, don't eat/drink after anyone else, cover coughs/sneezes, wash hands often, stay home when sick, eat good, healthy foods, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, wash hands often. And if I feel the need to medicate I am well-stocked with Vitamin C, elderberry, echinacea, and GSE.

And on that note, Will the Real Story please stand up?

The Tax Poem

by Anon

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
To my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL license Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Excise Taxes Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Permit Tax Gasoline Ta x (44.75 cents per gallon) Gross Receipts Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) Liquor Tax Luxury Taxes Marriage License Tax Medicare Tax Personal Property Tax Property Tax Real Estate Tax Service Charge Tax Social Security Tax Road Usage Tax Sales Tax Recreational Vehicle Tax School Tax State Income Tax State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) Telephone Federal Excise Tax Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax Telephone State and Local Tax Telephone Usage Charge Tax Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Watercraft Registration Tax Well Permit Tax Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middleclass in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

Daylight "Saving" Time

I must be missing something. Does it take less energy to light up a dark morning than it does to light up a dark evening? My neighbor goes to work at 7a.m. She used to come out of the house, hop into her car, and take off. But now that Daylight Saving Time has kicked in, she can't find her way to her car in the dark. So, now she turns on her porch light before she comes out of the house, hops into her car, and takes off. Leaving her porch light to burn all day long. Isn't it wonderful, the energy savings one can realize this time of year...

The Economy

The main topic of every newscast. But is it dying? Or is it booming? I guess it's sorta according to who you ask. For instance, this evening the CBS Nightly News ran a report on a survey they put together. All they did was to go around and poll people at several public places including a church, a job fair, and a car race.

Everyone had an opinion, ranging from "this too shall pass," not surprisingly at a church, all the way to my *favorite*: "A recession?! This is more like a DEPRESSION!" Strangely, this came from guess who, a person in the crowd at the car race. Well, I am not a professional economist or anything, but it seems to my uneducated mind, that a person who can afford to go to a car race must have at least some discretionary income. I know I haven't been to any car races lately.

So, here is my own little survey. Check these out, and make up your own mind. Is this a recession? Or is it a depression? Or, could it be, as it has ever been ~ the best of times, the worst of times...???

• Now if you look here, you might conclude that, yeah, this is a recession. But so what? Let the good times roll!
• If you can't quite afford the car races, this might interest you.
• E-life being what it is, I'm not sure how we're going to get along without this one.
• And on the home front, I'm happy to report that business is booming.

Whatever you conclude, there's no need to worry. Everything is going to be fine. Or is it? To quote the lovely Iron Lady, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

Profound Statements

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.

-- John Adams


2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

-- Mark Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.

-- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle ..

-- Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

-- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.

-- G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

-- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

-- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.

-- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

-- Ronald Reagan (1986)

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

-- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!

-- P.J. O'Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

-- Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!

-- Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.

-- Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.

-- Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.

-- Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.

-- Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.

-- Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.

-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

22. There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress.

-- Mark Twain

23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.

-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

24. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Tax Time

HAVE FUN AND GET YOUR TAXES DONE!!! "Liberty Tax" extends this absurd invitation to every driver on the main streets of Killeen and Copperas Cove and a number of other cities by way of the Statue of Liberty and/or Uncle Sam, of all people, standing by the side of the road jumping up and down and waving their ridiculous signs around. Does anybody catch the irony?

I confess, my first reaction upon seeing those ludicrous characters, was to laugh out loud, but it only took a moment for the feeling of hilarity to change to a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The attention-getting costumes are comical, to be sure, but they underscore a tragedy in our delusional public consciousness (or more accurately, our lack thereof): As a general public, rather than being outraged by the onerous tax burden to which we are subjected daily, we allow ourselves to be amused and distracted and deceived, and voluntarily enslaved, because, after all, we're having "FUN"!

"HAVE FUN AND GET YOUR TAXES DONE" urges the sign. Huh?! I must have missed something. I can't imagine what's going on in that office, because nothing about having my $ snatched away before I even touch it strikes me as fun. Perhaps some of the fun of April 15th would evaporate if our own money made its way through our own hands, and then we were compelled to pay our taxes by writing a big, fat check once a year. That little exercise oughta raise some public consciousness. But meanwhile, we are just willing suckers who are too ignorant and apathetic to know or care. Sounds appealing, doesn't it?

WAKE UP!!!!! Take a backward look. Recognize what has been lost. There's no lesson like history, but too many of us are too brain dead to learn it.

...Liberty Tax? An oxymoron if I ever heard one.

More Messiah

Some random, in-no-particular-order thoughts on America's new Messiah:

• Where, exactly, does this paragon of excellence come from? Kenya, Kansas, Hawaii, Indonesia, Columbia? For having a poor, single mother, 18 years old at his birth, he appears to have been quite the world traveler.
• And where, exactly, was he really born? There's no birth certificate to prove he is even eligible to be president of the United States, and so far, nobody with any authority has had the fortitude to challenge him to produce it.
• This one-of-us, everyday-guy, man-of-the-people has slave owners in his family tree! When it is ultimately decreed that the poor white never-owned-a-slave sods of today's America owe restitution to the born-free blacks of today, which side will Obama line up on?
• Goodbye to the polite punctuality we have come to expect from President Bush. Hello to the keep-everybody-waiting, who-cares-about-your-time rudeness and inconsideration of President Obama.
• And on another rude note: The new Commander-in-Chief paid not a moment of attention to the troops passing before him for review. He was too busy talking to the man behind him in the comfort of his heated review stand, and too bad about those poor suckers braving the elements outside.
• Why do we care how much foreigners like Obama? Did they vote for him or something?
• Barack Hussein Obama decided to use his middle name "as an olive branch to the Muslims." Huh? How about extending an olive branch to the half of the American population that didn't elect him?
• It certainly eases my mind, in these turbulent economic times, to have a president so mindful of the financial struggles of the American public that he limits himself to in excess of $160 MILLION for a one-day event.
• And not only that. With the country on the edge of a deep, dark recession, ethics and morality aside, he has managed to find the $$$$ to resume funding to the anti-life UN Population Fund.
  
• Obama is going to git 'er done. And he's not going to waste any time. Just a couple of days in, and the Executive Order is out: Close Guantanamo. The question that hasn't even been asked, let alone answered, is: What exactly is going to happen to the inmates? Oh, no worries. Give them a free pass to America and hire an ACLU lawyer for each and every one, courtesy of the beleaguered American taxpayer. Ok, that problem's solved.
• But even for Obama's staunchest (ex?)fans, all in Washington is not quite rosy. Gosh, I hate their luck!
• So, we're not sure of where he came from, or who he really is, but at 1/4 black, 1/4 Arab, and 1/2 white, welcome to America's first "black" president...well, at least black-ish.

Inaugural Parade

I am disappointed that M was marching in Obama's parade today, but I am thrilled that he was marching in the President's parade. In true West Point tradition, the cadets were thoroughly drilled and practiced, sub-freezing temperatures and any other problems be hanged, so I pretty much gave the activities of my day over to tv-watching, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Corps of Cadets. It was a colossal waste of a day. Well, except for collecting some fodder for this blog. ;-)

After slogging through endless pre-inaugural and inaugural and post-inaugural hoopla, we were more than ready for the parade, which, "due to circumstances beyond our control," was an hour and a half late in starting. We did not know that the West Point Corps of Cadets would be at the very front of the parade, though we knew they would be close to the front, and we mistakenly perceived this as an advantage. We could not have been wrong-er.

Obama's arrival was "fashionably late," while the parade outside languished in the freezing weather. By the time it actually started, a goodly portion of the parade goers had simply given up and gone home, and rumor has it that some of the participants in the parade were suffering from hypothermia by then. All this while Obama, the man of the people, took his leisure getting settled into his front-row seat in his climate-controlled reviewing stand.

Well, ok, we ourselves can't really complain. Other than the wasted time, we were comfortable enough in front of our tv set in our own living room, ready for "America's parade," as it was described by the press. America's Parade? Cool! Bring it on!

Due to Obama's lateness in arriving in the reviewing stand, the parade had already begun to file past when he got there, and he completely missed the first set of flags that went by. We were able to catch a glimpse of the very tips of the flag poles looking over Obama's shoulder through the window, and then the camera showed a head-on shot of the approaching Army band followed by West Point. We were all set for a good parade.

Only a funny thing happened on the way to America's Parade. Instead of showing us the parade, we were shown one shot after another of Obama watching the parade. Or, more accurately, of Obama not watching the parade. The new Commander-in-Chief was far too busy glad-handing the people around him to be able to review his troops passing before him, with the first military unit not to get his attention being none other than the Corps of Cadets of West Point, traditionally the very first unit to march under arms for a new president.

The press did treat us to one very short glimpse of the cadets, mistakenly announced as "The United States Military." M had told us where he would be standing, so we knew where to look: second from the right, as they marched forward, with Obama not reviewing them on the left. Hmmm...M on the right, Obama on the left...Yes, that would be right...or "accurate," I guess I should say ;-) Well, it was good that we knew where to find him, because all we got was a nanosecond of a look before we were back watching Obama (not) watching.

And that was the parade. I hope that it isn't an omen of things to come to the military from the hand of their new Commander-in-Chief. Now we can only pray.

And so, good, bad, or ugly, I'm off to remove the "NObama" sticker from the back of my van...

Coronation Day

Today's the day the whole world has been waiting for! It is time for the advent of America's new Messiah. Er... President. It's the day that Barack Hussein Obama, elected by a shameless, sycophantic media, steps out of the fictional "Office of the President-Elect" into history, into a day, according to said media, of epic importance, more significant apparently, than any other presidential inauguration. Ever.

This same media is absolutely mesmerized by America's first "black" president. It is infatuated with him, far beyond the hand-holding stage. Twitterpated, as Bambi would say. Boot-licking, fawning, and swooning to a point past embarrassment, as evidenced by some of the commentary today:

• I lost count of how many times I heard the phrase "history being made." Newsflash: History is made every Inauguration Day.
• According to Katie Couric, the darling of CBS News, "It's impossible to be too hyperbolic about the importance of this inauguration."
• And Bob Schieffer's comments on the festivities: "Washington has never seen anything like this before." What? Washington has never seen a president inaugurated?!
• "This president is so inspiring, young children all over the country have stars in their eyes?" Fascinating. I myself have never known any young child to have such definite political leanings.
• "At last, a president that represents all the people." Huh? I don't recall voting for him, and he and I have such severely opposing views on so many basic issues, he can't possibly represent me.

Why is it that Mr. Obama was courted and interviewed and treated to press conferences long before he was ever inaugurated? And how is it that for the last several weeks, the media took to calling then-President Bush "Mr. Bush," while referring to then-Mr. Obama as "President Obama"?

All I know for sure is that for better or for worse, or for indifferent, we're on. Don't worry, we'll have the press and the media to keep us up to date on the events of the day, but if we want to know the truth, I'm quite certain it would behoove us to stay awake and pay attention.

One of *Us*

So. Obama hasn't moved into the White House yet, but he's gearing up. And he's already made one important decision.

Unlike Jimmy Carter, an ineffectual but sincere (Dem, to give credit where credit is due) president from the last century who sent his daughter to public school while living in the White House, Obama has selected none other than the elite Sidwell Friends School, of Chelsea Clinton fame, for his little darlings.

Not that I blame him. It's just that, well, you know, we elected him because he's a regular, everyday guy. One of us. A champion of the downtrodden and the blue collar worker and all that. He's all about that equality stuff. Community. Sharing the wealth. That sort of thing. Yep, he's all about it. Until it comes to his family. All of a sudden we're not quite so equal anymore.

But I understand. Really. I wouldn't want my children in public school in Washington, D.C., either. No parent wants their children's personal security guards to be outnumbered. Or outgunned. Fortunately, unlike all those poor sods who elected him, he has the wherewithal to do something about it.

Welcome to the New USSA

Obama is now recycling the Clintonoids as his "new" cabinet. How's that for Hope and Change?

Wah, Wah, Waaaaahhh...!

Disgraceful. I am less than even the slightest fan of NObama, but I do find this somewhat, uh ... "inappropriate." There is, however, the matter of *free speech* which the Dems invoke endlessly to legitimize a multitude of the most egregious of transgressions. Their transgressions, that is. More of that one-way business... It never seems to matter whom they offend, but woe betide the miserable cur who offends their delicate sensibilities.

Tonight on the news there was a good deal of hand-wringing going on amid loud lamentations over the anti-Obama posters in MacGregor: "Oh, my gosh, Obama hasn't even been inaugurated, and already he is the target of such hatred and criticism, and it is making the people and businesses of MacGregor look bad, and what has he done to deserve such animosity, and ..."

Now here is what disturbs me:

When Obama was elected, "At last, we have a president that represents all the people" was heard throughout the land (Huh?! I don't recall voting for him, and he certainly doesn't represent me.), followed by "It's time for everyone to set differences aside and support the new president." Hmmm....

The sycophantic media then proceeded to fawn over Obama in the most shameful fashion. He was courted by the press. He was featured prominently on television, radio, and in the newspapers. His every word was quoted as though from the mouth of the president himself. His ideas and opinions were sought after as if he actually had some authority. An alien dropping in from another world would have, altogether reasonably, assumed Obama to be the president. The media was, and is, doing its utmost to influence the mindless public in favor of its darling.

But now, all of a sudden, here is at least one private citizen who clearly isn't in love with Obama. And what does the media have to say about that? "Wah, wah, wah, it isn't fair, he isn't even the president yet, why does everyone hate him so much, what has he done to deserve this treatment, etc, etc...."

So here is my question: If Obama is worthy of pre-presidency laud and glory and honor, then why is he off limits for pre-presidency criticism? The answer, of course, is that the Dems are the masters of the Double-Standard. And it is that simple.

As I say, I find the posters tasteless. I would never display them myself, but, America being the bastion of free speech that it is, this guy is squarely within his rights to display his own posters in his own windows.

And yes, I agree. We should all come together and the Reps should support the new president. Perhaps in the same spirit in which the Dems have supported the current one....?

Good Mourning, America

A week or two ago we had the choice of voting for socialism or capitalism. Socialism won. Now socialism is a wonderful theory, the problem being that it does not translate well into practice, though of course there are worse things than socialism: communism for instance, or fascism, or possibly anarchy.

The thing that disturbs me...well, one of the things that disturbs me, is that there are many, many happily oblivious socialistic countries out there, where all these short-sighted, welfare- and entitlement-minded miscreants could have moved to live happily ever after, but there was only ever one America.

Why is it that you don't see Americans, or anyone else for that matter, beating a path to any other country's door? No, people the world over want nothing the way they want to come to America.

A year or two ago, M had the pleasure of meeting several Frenchmen who had come over for an American history re-enacting event, an intriguing proposition in and of itself. They were professional, educated men in their 30's, and they carried on a good deal of thoughtful, intelligent conversation about politics and history and current events. At some point in the discussion, M asked them what they, as Frenchmen, thought about America. Their profound and simple answer:

"In our hearts we are all Americans."

Follow the $ Trail

Did Obama buy the election?